By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — A telecom system fault sent a landslide warning intended for He’an Village (和安里) in Jiasian District (甲仙區) to mobile users outside the alert area Sunday, according to the China Times News Network, citing the Ministry of Agriculture’s soil conservation agency.
The 3:03 p.m. cell broadcast placed the village under a yellow debris-flow and large-scale landslide alert and told residents to prepare for possible evacuation. People in Taipei, New Taipei, Taichung and Pingtung reported receiving the message.
The agency said a system problem at one telecom carrier sent the warning to some users outside the designated zone. The carrier was not identified.
Officials said 85 emergency broadcasts had been sent on Saturday and Sunday, but only the Jiasian message was affected. The agency was contacting the carrier and described the problem as an isolated incident.
Strong southwesterly winds and a low-pressure system brought damaging rain to southern Taiwan. Authorities placed 74 debris-flow-prone streams and large-scale landslide areas across Kaohsiung under alert.
The rain also forced precautionary closures on mountain roads. The United Daily News reported that Youkuang Lane No. 4 Bridge (油礦巷四號橋), on Kaohsiung Route 130, closed at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, because of safety concerns. Residents were advised to detour via Provincial Highway 29.
The bridge connects Dong’an Village (東安里) and Guanshan Village (關山里). Residents told the newspaper that sediment from upstream slope collapses had raised the creek bed close to road level, causing repeated closures during heavy rain and adding about 20 minutes to some trips.
